


Not So Much Wilderness, But Still Pretty Wild

by mmmdraco



Category: Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
Genre: College, Coming Out, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 15:17:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12962238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: Phyllis goes to get her little girl settled in for her first year of college, and learns just a little more about her.





	Not So Much Wilderness, But Still Pretty Wild

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lyricalnights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyricalnights/gifts).



> It was a lot of fun reading over your prompts! But I also had a difficult time because we matched on several fandoms. But f/f is amazing and if I'm going to write it, I should at least be able to give a bit of an ode to Jenny Lewis who, looking back, was one of my early crushes. Hope this hits some of the nostalgia spot a bit. I researched entirely too much about stores in California in the mid-90s for this.

Hannah Nefler was still a bit of a waif on her first day of college. But the muscles in her arms and legs were still up to the task of carrying more of her luggage than her mother was letting her. "Mom! I think Phillipe has enough to do. I can at least carry the suitcase with my accessories."

Looking at least a little chagrined, Phyllis put her hands up in a very "don't shoot" pose and said nothing as Hannah picked up the suitcase. "I just don't want you straining something before you go to your first workout. You'd be miserable."

"I'll be miserable if I watch Phillipe do all of the work of moving me into my dorm. Now, come on. I've got my key so now it's just getting in there and getting things set up." Hannah led the charge, map of the residence hall in hand. It was a tight fit to get the three of them into the elevator with everything they were carrying between them, but they just managed.

"Your father wanted to be here," Phyllis said from behind her raised arm, face obscured by a garment bag. "But the grand opening of the new distribution center has been planned since a few months before your acceptance letter and-"

With a smile, Hannah turned back to her mother. "I know, Mom. I already talked to Dad about it like a month ago. And again yesterday before he headed off to Portland."

Phyllis' fingernails tapped in a rhythm against the handle of the toiletry tote she carried. "I just don't understand why you didn't go to Stanford."

"UCLA is perfectly respectable, has a better gymnastics program, is closer to home... And here I already know my roommate..." Hannah said the last bit while looking back toward the front of the elevator, "because she's my girlfriend."

"Moving in together so young? That sounds like your father and me." Phyllis grinned. "You know her, but do I?"

The elevator arrived on the 4th floor and Hannah gave an awkward smile to the pair of people waiting to ride down, obviously mother and daughter, as she walked through and headed down the hallway, ignoring the question out in the open. Her room ended up being fairly close to the elevator, so she dropped her suitcase outside the door, fished for her key and put it in the keyhole, eyes going wide at the realization that it was already unlocked. That meant-

Phyllis let out a huff of breath. "Is the door stuck? Here, let me try. Put that Wilderness Girl strength to the test!" Her hand was on the knob and turning before Hannah could think, and then the door was open and her mother was shouting, "Chica!"

Hannah moved into the room first and looked at her mother. "Mom, meet my girlfriend."

"I should have known." Phyllis grinned and stepped into the room, pulling Chica into a tight hug. "I honestly couldn't be happier. Have you met boys? They're pretty awful around this age. They're not much better when they get older, but if you're into that, you can't really help what you find attractive."

"So you're not mad that I'm a lesbian?" Hannah stood off to the side of the room, not really paying anything much attention except for where her mother was still hugging her girlfriend.

Finally pulling back, Phyllis laughed. "Mad? Sweetie, I had a feeling that was the case when you asked if Barbie and her friends could all share one bed. And then again when you were thirteen and asked if I had any lipstick you could borrow that wouldn't come off when you were 'kissing your teddy bear'. I would be mad if you got a bad tattoo or got arrested for drug possession. But, instead, you're so smart and talented. And, Chica? You are, too. Plus, Hannah, you stayed in the Wilderness Girls to the highest level. There's a certain reputation there. I wasn't going to say anything because it could have just been that I was an amazing troop leader or you wanted to stay involved because it was obvious that I wanted to, but..."

"I did, too." Chica finally spoke, looking from Phyllis to Hannah with a shy smile. "Stayed in to the highest level. Well, except for the year that my parents moved us to Dubai. But then we came back to California, though it was more toward San Francisco, and I got back into it. You really taught us so much about being involved. And it was as I was doing that that I reached out to Hannah again after the move. We were doing a community involvement project with some younger girls and some of them really wanted to know about gymnastics. Hannah helped me get them into a local gym to start doing things after researching places for me, and we just sort of stayed involved."

"I'm glad." Phyllis looked back behind her and sighed. "Phillipe, I'm so sorry. Come in and put those things down, please."

Phillipe did so and then spoke with a hard French accent, "Of course, Madame Nefler. I will go get the rest of Hannah's things, as well." Piling the last of his load onto one of the beds in the room, he took off.

"This place is so... cozy!" Phyllis finally took in the room and then looked back to the girls. "You're both used to such bigger rooms that this is going to be tough. But I suppose you're probably going to find a way to share a bed and then have a little extra?" She smirked and sat down on the edge of the bed nearest her. "Chica, are your parents here today at least?"

Chica shrugged. "They dropped me off, but couldn't stay too long. They had to be on a flight to Zurich and you know there aren't many that leave from here every day."

"I'm just glad that I could be here for you, too, then." Phyllis stood up again and walked over to Chica, grabbing Hannah on her way and dragging them into a group hug. "I am so excited for the two of you to get to start this adventure together."

Hannah laughed as she turned her head to rest against her mother's shoulder. "Thanks, Mom."

"What for?" Phyllis kissed the top of Hannah's head and squeezed her shoulders gently.

"For always being the coolest. Even when you're lame about it." Hannah pulled back from the hug and glanced around the room. "This room needs... a lot."

Chica nodded. "My mother suggested Italian leather as a look, but I fear it wouldn't hold up to the wear and tear of it being one of the only pieces of furniture in the room."

Phyllis shook her head. "No, girls. You need furniture that will let you be comfortable, but also let you fit in. You'll have time when you're older and established in your own right to be the rich girls. Now, be normal. Learn to function without much and then you'll always know how to do it. Let's go shopping... at Ikea."

Hannah rolled her eyes. "Ikea is still expensive for a lot of college students, Mom."

"Fine. Target, then. I saw one on the drive here." Phyllis glanced around the room, looking contemplative. "We should make a list of everything you need. Storage, furniture, linens, appliances... Is there an RA nearby that we can consult with on which appliances are allowed? I doubt either of you will make it through 8 am classes without an espresso machine."

"No way am I signing up for an 8 am class!" Hannah pulled out a notebook and began jotting down a list of things in it, looking over to Chica after a moment. "Are you?"

Chica shrugged with one shoulder. "I used to go to 8 am dressage lessons. It's hardly different."

Phyllis smirked. "You say that now, but you're old enough now to go out and have fun because your only bedtime is self-imposed. Eventually, you'll be sleep-deprived enough to think that 8 am is a perfect time for an organic chemistry lab. It isn't, but you'll figure that out for yourself."

The conversation flowed from there into the list of things they needed. Shower shoes, a tool kit, a printer... Hannah's list filled up fast, but by the time Phillipe finished bringing up Hannah's things, Phyllis was directing everyone back down to the car. "Phillipe! We're going to Target. This might take a while and I'm afraid there will be a certain amount of additional carrying."

"Madame, it's fine. I am taking the opportunity to skip the gym today because I figured I would be doing this. Let us head to the store." Phillipe opened the door and allowed the three women to slip inside before shutting it behind them.

The drive was surprisingly fast once they got out of the campus traffic, but the parking lot was very busy, leading to Phillipe dropping them off at the door. "I'll find somewhere to sit until I receive your call. I've got a book to read. Grisham."

Thanking Phillipe, they piled out and each grabbed their own cart on the way inside, knowing they'd easily fill them all.

The conversation in the store stayed simple. Is black an appropriate color to base their room color scheme on? Would an interior decorator be worth the hassle of getting them to keep it looking put together but not over the top? What thread count was appropriate for college students but still comfortable? They ended up with two carts full of boxes of put-it-together-yourself furniture, another of nothing but storage bins and electronics, and a fourth of miscellaneous items they'd picked up along the way. When they checked out, Phyllis pulled out her gold card first and handed it over with a smile. "You know, Hannah, with what we just saved over buying at Ikea, we should do sushi for dinner."

Chica pushed one of the carts forward, her nose wrinkling. "Could we maybe just get pizza? I had sushi last night. We still need to put all of this together, too. Like you said, we're trying to be normal. Isn't pizza normal?"

Phyllis signed her name with a flourish and slipped her card back into her purse. "It is! Okay, pizza. Let's see if we can help Phillipe load all of this in and get it back to your room. Hannah, you're smaller than Chica, so there's a chance you'll need to sit in her lap if it's as full as I think it'll have to be."

"Mom!" Hannah covered her face with her hands for a moment before pulling them away with a sigh. "That's not safe."

"It's two blocks!" Phyllis gave her daughter a little grin before glancing over at Chica. "But, it's good to know that you always have safety in mind. Not as much of problem with two girls, I'd bet, but certainly a factor in life."

Chica looked upward and pursed her lips. "Let's just go build things."

Hannah ended up sitting on Chica's lap after all which made Phyllis grin knowingly for the entirety of their drive back, short though it was. Phillipe dropped them off at the door where they grabbed what they could, and agreed to haul the rest up himself while they began to arrange things.

The only furniture item that made its way up initially was a small particle board bookcase. It was easy enough to slot the pieces together and get them connected using the tool kit they'd purchased, but when it came to hammering the flimsy cardboard piece on the back to give the illusion of a solid piece of furniture, they ran into the problem that none of them were comfortable enough using a hammer around their fingers to hold onto the nails and hit them hard enough to go in. It was Phyllis who came up with the solution. "Tweezers! Toss a little lash glue on the insides to make sure the metal isn't just slipping against each other, and then, Chica? You know how to use a riding crop, right? A hammer has to be basically the same."

Chica and Hannah nodded and quickly got ready. Hannah held the first nail steady and took a deep breath as Chica carefully lifted the hammer and then brought it down, hammering the nail in halfway. Then she promptly dropped it and squealed before throwing her arms around Hannah and hugging her tightly. "We did it!"

Phyllis smiled. "One halfway down, literally, and another 19 to go. Just on this one. But! It's proof that you can do it, and I want you to know that I'm proud of you both for it. And for trying new things. And for giving this a chance with each other."

Hannah rolled her eyes again but pulled her mother awkwardly into the hug around the corner of the bookcase. "You telling us how to do something isn't exactly that amazing, Mom. Be impressed when I use my flat iron on the curtains to iron them."

"Or when I glue a pencil sharpener inside of an old Tic Tac container to catch pencil shavings." Chica grinned.

"I bought special tape to color code our notebooks so we know which one we're using for which class." Hannah sat back and smiled.

"Oh! And a shoe organizer on the back of the closet door to hold all of those things we don't really have room for. Well, plus some shoes. Mrs. Neffler, do you want one of my chunky heeled Mary Janes to help us hammer nails? They're done with a full steel sole, so they should manage in this soft wood." Chica held up the hammer. "Or you can take this and I'll have the heels."

Phyllis sniffled slightly but shook her head. "No, thank you. I'll leave you to hammering and I'm going to start on putting together your CD rack. Phillipe is bringing more things up while we sit here talking and that's not entirely fair to him."

Chica cocked her head to one side briefly. "You know, I don't think I know where you met Phillipe. You seem closer to him than if he were just from an agency. Is he your full-time driver now?"

"Oh! No, no, no. He's Annie's boyfriend." Phyllis leaned in closer and grinned. "She met him while selling cookies at the Mervyn's in Glendale. He had already been my driver a time or two before, so when he met Annie and they bonded over selling Wilderness Girl Cookies because he has a daughter who just joined up last year. Turns out, though, that he's divorced, the ex is completely out of the picture, and his little girl adores Annie. So, I ask for him specifically because I know I can trust him. And if he betrays that, I know where he lives."

Phillipe happened to come in the door then and scoffed as he set down a laundry hamper filled with various other items. "Mrs. Neffler! You act like I couldn't just run away."

"I know where you dunk your cookies, Phillipe. No one goes for a new glass without leaving some crumbs behind." Phyllis snickered. "Mushrooms and olives on your pizza? I'll call it in."

"Yes, please. And see if they'll bring along some drinks, too. I could use a Pepsi." Phillipe gestured toward the door. "I think I can get the rest of the things in one more trip, so I'm going to do that."

Hannah and Chica continued to use their method to hammer in the nails, but Hannah took a moment to pipe up, "Just get all of the vegetables they have on a pizza for us. Light on the onion."

Phyllis snorted. "You know, if this is just about the kissing, I can tell you from experience that it only matters if just one of you has onions."

Chica smirked. "Garlic, too."

"Right. Now, I really should have picked up a case of Perrier at the store. If I order water from the pizza place, they're going to bring me tap water and I can't do that to myself." Phyllis tapped a nail against the phone on one of the dorm-provided desks. "Maybe they'll bring me some if I promise to tip extra?"

Hannah smiled as she looked around the room and then back to Phyllis. "I'm sure you can. And if you can't? You'll make the best of it. You always do."

Chica joined Hannah in smiling. "And you usually make it better for everyone else around you, too."

Phyllis held a hand up to her mouth and inhaled sharply. "Why didn't I wear waterproof mascara, today of all days? I'm going to look like a raccoon when the pizza comes!"

"You've still got to order it, too. Come on, Mom! If you're busy, you won't have time to get sad." Hannah shrugged. "Just remember not to get extra cheese on yours. You know what excess lactose does to you the day after and that's when Dad gets home."

"Rude, Hannah. But also, true. And once he does, we'll come by and visit you girls. Now, the big question. Do you want me to tell him or keep it a secret until we get here?" Phyllis began typing in the phone number for the pizza place, taking a long period of time between each number to draw things out for Hannah and Chica to answer.

"Surprise him," Chica said. "His shocked face is pretty funny. When he did it in that one muffler commercial, I kept laughing for five minutes."

Hannah nodded. "I love Dad, but he flies off the handle when you tell him things, even if they're nothing bad. Remember when you told him he'd been eating cottage cheese instead of yogurt that had gone bad and it got on the ceiling?"

"The fact that he was eating it even after thinking it had gone bad in the first place... Your father isn't exactly a complicated man. He'll be fine, but seeing your face will help with it." Phyllis laughed and dialed the last digit of the phone number. "And now... pizza! And college. And love."

Chica hammered one more nail in and wiped at her forehead with her sleeve. "And building things."

Phyllis nodded solemnly, covering the receiver on the phone. "I wish you girls were older so we could toast with champagne, but we'll make do!" She pulled her hand away and smiled. "Yes, hello! I need to order three pizzas and see if I can tempt your driver into an extra $20 tip to stop and get a six pack of Perrier for me."

Putting down the hammer, Chica leaned over to Hannah as Phyllis gave the details of their order. "You're so lucky to have her."

Hannah leaned closer to reply, a soft smile on her face. "We both are."


End file.
